I wonder if you can say anything about the Catholic faith without people taking offense. No matter how benign, no comment on the web about Catholicism goes unchallenged. That goes for blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and pretty much everything else.

Moreover, the idea of trying to understand a person by reading carefully what they're actually saying, or giving them the benefit of the doubt, is fading quickly from Catholic discourse.

No matter what you write, there are Catholics ready to take immediate offense, to explode in righteous anger, to threaten to report you to the proper authorities or, most of all, to correct.

The most common responses are these five: 1.) Your soul is in mortal danger. 2.) You’re uneducated and need to be schooled. 3.) I hate the church and so I hate you. 4.) You’re an unthinking tool of the Vatican. 5.) You’re disobedient and must be reported.

Here is a not-so-farfetched exchange, based on some very, very real experiences. Believe me, it would be hard to make this stuff up:

I think some of the folks in America Magazine get corrected more than is needed because well they are kind of suspect already. But there is a point at which the perfect is the enemy of the good.

_________________The image of the Mother of God demonstrates the basic spiritual attitude which corresponds to woman’s natural vocation; her relation to her husband is one of obedience, trust, and participation in his life as she furthers his objective tasks and personality development; to the child she gives true care, encouragement, and formation of his God-given talents; she offers both selfless surrender and a quiet withdrawal when unneeded. -Edith SteinFormerly Sunmumy.

It's the same old move. When you can't defend yourself or your organization against criticism (plenty of the things that have been expressed in America Magazine are indefensible), then make a villain out of anyone who criticizes. And, of course, try to do it with humor, because humor generates buy-in.

Yes, yes, correction and critique are bad bad bad, aren't we SO glad that we are above it at America Magazine? Now make sure you don't do it to us anymore, because then you are insensitive and missing the point and upsetting our poor staff and contributors who are, after all, just misunderstood by overzealous, impossible-to-please readers who would dare to ask us to clarify or *gasp* correct ourselves when we are unclear or *gasp* wrong.

Yes, that's right, it is wrong and judgmental and downright un-Christian to criticize!

Now we just hope that nobody is smart enough to figure out that this whole article was a criticism of others, which makes us just as bad as the people about whom we're complaining.

_________________During His trials Our Lord would not respond to the chief priests (Mt 14:61), or Herod (Lk 23:9) or Pilate (Jn 19:9). Words had failed. All that could penetrate those hardened hearts was the witness of divine love, the offering of His life to the Father. So also for us — when words fail the greatest way to “win” an argument is by acts of love. - Fr. Paul Scalia

It's the same old move. When you can't defend yourself or your organization against criticism (plenty of the things that have been expressed in America Magazine are indefensible), then make a villain out of anyone who criticizes. And, of course, try to do it with humor, because humor generates buy-in.

Yes, yes, correction and critique are bad bad bad, aren't we SO glad that we are above it at America Magazine? Now make sure you don't do it to us anymore, because then you are insensitive and missing the point and upsetting our poor staff and contributors who are, after all, just misunderstood by overzealous, impossible-to-please readers who would dare to ask us to clarify or *gasp* correct ourselves when we are unclear or *gasp* wrong.

Yes, that's right, it is wrong and judgmental and downright un-Christian to criticize!

Now we just hope that nobody is smart enough to figure out that this whole article was a criticism of others, which makes us just as bad as the people about whom we're complaining.

_________________Through the Sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have Mercy on us, and on the whole world...

Unfortunately, I am guilty of saying some pretty stupid things sometimes, especially when I get exasperated with some of the prots who come here to argue....so yes....I am guilty. I've been trying very hard for quite a while now, however, to bite my tongue. It gets pretty sore sometimes, but it seems to work

Thank goodness I've never argued or said something like that to a priest though. I was taught when I was coming into the Church that one never criticizes a priest, or talks bad about him, etc. I was taught by an old priest

I believe it's more harmful than we realise for Catholic bloggers and forum dwellers to accuse each other of heresy. It's a different thing to describe the nature of a known heresy in reference to an official condemnation of an error, but truly I think that all of us harbour faulty beliefs and understandings in some measure. We would be sinless if we didn't. Even when priests are publically corrected, the major concern is his disobedience to direction of authorities. Not so much that he is committing a heresy.

Pope John Paul 2 made more than 100 apologies and mostly those were for over zealous applications of teachings by representatives without adequate formation to do so. It damages the authority of the Church for generations afterwards.

I believe it's more harmful than we realise for Catholic bloggers and forum dwellers to accuse each other of heresy. It's a different thing to describe the nature of a known heresy in reference to an official condemnation of an error, but truly I think that all of us harbour faulty beliefs and understandings in some measure. We would be sinless if we didn't. Even when priests are publically corrected, the major concern is his disobedience to direction of authorities. Not so much that he is committing a heresy.

Pope John Paul 2 made more than 100 apologies and mostly those were for over zealous applications of teachings by representatives without adequate formation to do so. It damages the authority of the Church for generations afterwards.

HERESY!!!

_________________Through the Sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have Mercy on us, and on the whole world...